Tawa Borough Council
Descriptive Data
TypeAgencyParallel NameTawa Flat Borough CouncilOther NamesTBCDate Range1953-1989DescriptionIn 1938 a committee was formed by the Tawa Flat Progressive Association to collect information regarding the formation of Town District of Tawa. Tawa Flat at this time formed part of the Porirua Riding of Makara County. In 1948 a committee of the Tawa and Linden Progressive Associations was set up to consider the matter of a Town District further, and joint submissions were made to the Local Government Commission. Tawa, Linden and Porirua proposed the formation of single borough covering the whole of the Porirua basin in 1948, on the grounds that Makara County was not meeting the region's needs. This proposal was not successful but the Tawa Flat and Linden area was designated as a Town District able to elect its own Town Board in 1951. The first elections were held on 26 May 1951. A Tawa Flat Town Board was established in the same year, with six commissioners and a chairman. The inaugural meeting was held on the 5th of June 1951.
By 1953 the population of the Tawa district had reached 3,090 - enough to warrant the upgrading to a Borough. Approval was given from the Local Government Commission. Borough status took effect from the 1st of October 1953, and on the 31st October of the same year a Mayor, George Turkington, and eight councillors (including all the members of the Town Board) were elected to the Borough Council by rate-payers and residents of Tawa Flat. Mr Turkington was appointed to the Local Government Commission the following year, and replaced by M M Davidson as Mayor.
The sub-committees of the Tawa Borough Council during the inaugural years were Works, Finance, Reserves, By-Laws and Linden Community Centre. Permanent staff included the Town Clerk and assistant, an Overseer, a Building Inspector, and engineering staff. Ernest Mervyn Hall Kemp replaced Davidson as Mayor in 1956. Kemp was a major figure in the local government history of Tawa, holding the position of Mayor of Tawa for 28 years, the greater part of its existence as a borough. Roy Mitchell took over from him in 1983. In 1986 Doris Mills succeeded him, but died suddenly only eight months in office. David Watt became Tawa’s fifth and final mayor. By 1959 the borough had grown well beyond the 'Flat' and changed its name to Tawa.
With the passing of the Local Government Act in 1989, Tawa Borough was amalgamated with a greatly-enlarged Wellington City. The last meeting of the Borough Council was held on 25 October 1989. The Tawa Borough Council became the Tawa Ward within Wellington City Council (WCC), on November 1 1991 as a result of local government reorganisation. It had its own Community Board which represented the views of the Tawa community to WCC and had input into the Annual Plan and other Wellington City Council policy and processes. The Tawa Community Board had six elected members and could have a maximum of two appointed members on the Wellington City Council.
By 1953 the population of the Tawa district had reached 3,090 - enough to warrant the upgrading to a Borough. Approval was given from the Local Government Commission. Borough status took effect from the 1st of October 1953, and on the 31st October of the same year a Mayor, George Turkington, and eight councillors (including all the members of the Town Board) were elected to the Borough Council by rate-payers and residents of Tawa Flat. Mr Turkington was appointed to the Local Government Commission the following year, and replaced by M M Davidson as Mayor.
The sub-committees of the Tawa Borough Council during the inaugural years were Works, Finance, Reserves, By-Laws and Linden Community Centre. Permanent staff included the Town Clerk and assistant, an Overseer, a Building Inspector, and engineering staff. Ernest Mervyn Hall Kemp replaced Davidson as Mayor in 1956. Kemp was a major figure in the local government history of Tawa, holding the position of Mayor of Tawa for 28 years, the greater part of its existence as a borough. Roy Mitchell took over from him in 1983. In 1986 Doris Mills succeeded him, but died suddenly only eight months in office. David Watt became Tawa’s fifth and final mayor. By 1959 the borough had grown well beyond the 'Flat' and changed its name to Tawa.
With the passing of the Local Government Act in 1989, Tawa Borough was amalgamated with a greatly-enlarged Wellington City. The last meeting of the Borough Council was held on 25 October 1989. The Tawa Borough Council became the Tawa Ward within Wellington City Council (WCC), on November 1 1991 as a result of local government reorganisation. It had its own Community Board which represented the views of the Tawa community to WCC and had input into the Annual Plan and other Wellington City Council policy and processes. The Tawa Community Board had six elected members and could have a maximum of two appointed members on the Wellington City Council.
Series
Related Agencies
Successor Agency or OrganisationTawa District Office and Service Centre
Tawa Borough Council. Archives Online, accessed 14/02/2025, https://archivesonline.wcc.govt.nz/nodes/view/7911